When Haitang left the garden, the steward wanted to follow her out, but in the next instant, someone fell down from the roof in front of him.
It was indeed a book and a sword.
He gasped in fright and took two steps back: "Why is it you again, sir?"
Shujian chuckled and said, "Don't be nervous. We know each other inside and out. Are you really that unwilling to catch up with me?"
The butler rolled his eyes, head down. He didn't really deserve the title of "knows everything about him." The person in front of him had practically exposed his entire past, and he still didn't know their name.
"How have you thought about what I told you last time?" Shujian asked.
The butler exclaimed, "Oh dear! There's no 'last time,' I only asked you about it yesterday! You have to give me some time to think about it, don't you?"
“It’s not impossible,” Shujian said earnestly, glancing at Haitang’s receding figure. “But you have to think it through. Whose life will be used to sacrifice for this sword in my hand is a matter for you to decide.”
After he finished speaking, he leaped onto the roof in the next instant.
The butler looked up and felt dizzy.
Why did he have to get into this mess?
...
When night fell, King Hu invited everyone to the dining hall for dinner.
Although the formal banquet to entertain Rong Heng will be held tomorrow, since he has come to the mountain today, we should still do some superficial welcoming and cleansing.
After leading everyone to toast Rong Heng, he didn't say anything more, only urging everyone to drink and eat.
Rong Heng sat with him in the main seat, his clear eyes scanning the room before finally settling on the woman wearing a veil.
The woman only showed her eyes, but the ambiguous smile in them was all too familiar to him.
He raised his wine glass and held it directly to the woman: "It's one thing for others, but what noble status do you have that you dare not show your true face here?"
Seeing this, Hu Yanwang quickly raised his wine cup to toast him and said with a smile, "That person came from here. She caught a cold and is not fit to see people, but since it is to welcome you, she can't refuse... If she has offended Young Master Rong in any way, I apologize to you on her behalf."
This was something that the young master Lou had already arranged with him. He was genuinely afraid of Lou's stubborn temper and worried that the two of them might start arguing in this setting, which would be unacceptable if either of them lost face. So he thought he could act as a peacemaker, which would be a good deed for the Lou family.
When Zhu Jiayu heard Rong Heng's words, she knew that he had probably recognized her.
He has always been meticulous.
But she still had to act appropriately, otherwise, Rong Heng wouldn't be the only one to suspect her.
Thinking of this, she stood up, raised her cup to Rong Heng, and said with her eyes lowered, "I have disturbed your refined enjoyment, sir, and I deserve to die. I only wish you all your wishes will be fulfilled and that you will have peace and good fortune."
Rong Heng chuckled softly, recalling the moonlit night by the river several months ago. If it weren't for her, he would have already escaped by then. Why would he have killed his beloved horse to delay his recovery and dispel Wei Qinglou's suspicions?
It was then that he realized how much she hated him.
But now, seeing her saying such insincere words of congratulations to him, he found it rather amusing.
He looked at her gently, tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp: "In that case, I'll take your good wishes."
Zhu Jiayu lifted her veil, took a small sip, and was about to sit down when Hu Yanwang stopped her: "Young Master Rong gave you face by drinking the wine you offered, shouldn't you show some sincerity in return?"
Just as Wei Qinglou was about to lash out, Zhu Jiayu pinched his wrist and said softly, "Master Hu is right, I shall drink this cup to the brim."
"Never mind—" Rong Heng interrupted her, "I don't like people overstepping their bounds, and I especially don't like bullying women. Since you're not feeling well, it's best to drink less alcohol and sit down to eat."
Upon hearing this, King Hu's expression changed several times, but he finally smiled and said, "Since Young Master Rong has said so, then please sit down."
Zhu Jiayu then sat down and quietly ate a few bites of food.
...
The winter night was slightly chilly, even more so in the mountains.
Few servants moved about in Qingyin Garden; they were all huddled inside burning charcoal for warmth.
The butler, carrying a food box, knocked on the door of the side room.
"Come in, the door's unlocked," Haitang said in a muffled voice, lying on the covers.
The butler went in and saw that the woman's beautiful, jade-like body was covered in blood, with new scars overlapping the old ones, crisscrossing her body.
His hand holding the food box trembled, and his voice shook involuntarily: "Did he hit you again?"
"Isn't it obvious why you're asking this now? When has he ever called me over without hitting me?" Haitang said, her lips pursed, devoid of joy or sorrow.
She's used to it.
She thought he should be used to it by now.
"I'm so sorry," the butler said with difficulty, unable to bear looking at her wounds. "Master is entertaining guests in the front, so I came to see you and brought you some food. Would you like to eat now?"
"Just leave it there," Haitang said softly.
With her eyes closed, she recalled her time in the Dechun Class. Her master also liked to beat her, so she always wanted to run away from the Dechun Class, anywhere would do, as long as she didn't have to stay there.
Now that she has finally left Dechun Class, she has ended up looking like a ghost, and she still couldn't escape the fate of being beaten.
But back then, her master beat her because he hoped she could sing better and make the Dechun Troupe the best opera troupe in Yujing.
So why is King Hu beating her now?
It was just a way to vent.
After all, he's a coward who can't get an erection.
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